Scrap Polymer Clay Bargello Patterned Sheets

Scrap Clay Bargello Technique - Polymer Clay TutorVideo #738: After watching today’s video, you will never be able to complain about having too much scrap clay, ever again!

In today’s video I am going to show you how to use scrap clay to make a patterned Bargello sheet. This technique is perfect for making earrings, pendants, frames, beads, or whatever you want.

A few weeks ago, I showed you how to make silk-screened sheets of polymer clay.

Then in a follow up video, I used those patterned sheets to make striped designs.

Today, the lesson will be about using up your scraps from those previous videos, to make an organic looking, Bargello pattern.

Actually, you can do this Bargello technique with any polymer clay scraps that you may have lying around.

In the video I demonstrate how to flatten and roll-out your scrap clay into a loosely striped, organic looking sheet of clay.

The next step is to cut that sheet into strips, and stack them in a chevron, or zig-zag fashion.

By slicing and lining up your clay strips in this manner you will end up with a Bargello patterned sheet of polymer clay.

You will need to watch the video to get a better idea of how this is all done.

I would also suggest you search Google Images for Bargello Patterns, to get inspiration for just how many variations you can create within a Bargello design. Alternating the number of strips, the widths and the distance you shift them up and down, can result in wonderfully complex design possibilities.

Perhaps if there is enough interest, I could do a more in depth tutorial on more complex Bargello patterns in the future…? If this is something you would like to see, let me know in the comment section below.

As you will see in today’s video, you should never have the need to complain about having too much scrap clay, ever again.

Do you have any suggestions for videos on tips, techniques or products you would like to learn more about? Let me know in the comments section below!

My goal is to help you to learn quicker and easier ways to bring up the professionalism in your polymer clay art.

Oh and don’t forget to give these videos a Thumbs Up click at YouTube if you are enjoying them. The more Likes a video gets, the higher it rises in the searches. And that means even more people will be able to join in on this polymer clay journey of a lifetime.

Also, by subscribing to our YouTube Channel directly, you will receive notifications as soon as new videos are uploaded. To subscribe, click here… Scrap Polymer Clay Bargello Technique … the Subscribe Button is right near the top of that YouTube page.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Cindy Lietz SignaturePolymer Clay Tutor
  1. Dixie Ann, 14 June, 2016

    Love this technique and so easy to do. It is amazing the designs you can create with just scrap clay! This is a great summer project and one even the kids can do! Can’t you just see the excitement on their faces, it would be just like them putting a puzzle together! Even while waiting for the new website to open I have gone back over all the old tutorials and picked out the ones I had the most difficulty with and decided to take a shot at doing them again just for my own satisfaction. Practice makes perfect right?
    I will admit there were not a whole lot of them but it was exciting and now that I know I can produce beautiful sheets of bargellow from the scraps I have something to look forward to even if I goof up a few!

  2. Cindy Lietz, 14 June, 2016

    Yeah I bet kids would love this one Dixie Ann! That is cool about you going through the old tutorials and giving them a new shot. Which ones are you working on?

  3. Dixie Ann, 15 June, 2016

    3 canes I had the most trouble with are the Johnny Jump Up, the Red Clover Flower, the Pirate Cane and the Spliced Flower Cane. I only tried them once and of course they looked nothing like yours especially the pirate cane which was actually kind of scary the way mine turned out….ugh! The Red clover was the hardest but I think it was because the clay got too soft and my hands too warm. That I can remedy now using ice pads to rest the cane on inbetween times. 3 canes I never tried were the snowy tree cane which if I remember was around the holidays and just didn’t have time. The anchor cane which at the time looked too time consuming and then the PC painting which I did get the little palettes to paint on but they are still sitting in my cabinet. Oh and I didn’t do the little camper cane. I don’t camp and I don’t know anyone who does so I lost interest in that one right away. Of course all of this has changed since these all came out and now I am finding it a challenge to go back and try these since I have gained a lot more confidence and patience in assembling canes. The easiest canes I found to do were the extruder ones and the kalidescope canes. I am so looking forward to the new website and getting new tutorials from you again. I have others ask me from time to time when you are going to be back with the new website so I hope it’s soon as it will be a year come August and we all miss you very much.

  4. Cindy Lietz, 16 June, 2016

    Thanks Dixie Ann for sharing that with me. It is helpful information to know which tutorials are the most challenging for people and which are the easiest. It is also good to hear that you are revisiting these past challenging ones… I am sure that it will be a much different experience the second time around… especially since your skills have developed significantly since you did them last. As far as the new website goes, we are working as fast as we can. We hope that it is finished soon too!

  5. Julie A, 15 June, 2016

    Hi Cindy,

    Quick question – I use Fimo but end up also using Premo because of the fantastic colors available for mixing. What should I be doing as far as baking? Fimo has a baking temp of 230 while Premo is 275 — I’ve been doing 230 and just baking for an hour or more depending on the size of what I’m working on. Any ideas? Thank you so much, I’m addicted to your tutorials and everything else you’ve got out there. Thanks!

  6. Cindy Lietz, 16 June, 2016

    Hi Julie, I don’tmix more than one brand in the same project, but the general rule of thumb is to bake at the temp that the majority of the clay is made of. So if the piece is mostly Fimo then bake at the 230F but if it is mostly Premo bake at 275F. The Fimo will darken at that higher temp but it should be ok.

  7. Marie Lilley, 15 June, 2016

    Hi Cindy,
    really cool technique and as Dixie Ann said so easy up to now I’ve been using scrap clay just as the core piece of something that’s being covered. I can also see this technique being good for covering objects with at the moment I’m collecting some nice empty bottles to make into vases etc., covering them with different canes etc.,
    You may recall 2 or 3 weeks back that I emailed you about the errors and problems I had with the Faux Labraordite technique well I squashed it all together, put it through the pasta machine and rolled it into sheets and it’s been sat in bags waiting, and I think this will be just the technique it’s been waiting for.
    Thanks to you and Doug for all your hard work and interesting videos.

  8. Cindy Lietz, 16 June, 2016

    You’re very welcome Marie! There are actually lots of techniques that you can do using scrap clay, in addition to using it for bead cores. Just type scrap clay into the search box and you should find plenty of ideas.

  9. Nancy H, 17 June, 2016

    Hey, Cindy,
    Another great video and idea especially for scraps! I noticed you have a special board you are using as a surface and measuring tool — looks like it’s called “We R” but I can’t really tell from the video. Can you tell us where you got that? It looks like a great tool to have. Currently I am using a Fiskar mat under my projects but it isn’t that precise for small measurements.
    Thanks for sharing :)
    Nancy

  10. Chrissie F, 19 June, 2016

    Hi Nancy,

    I don’t know where Cindy bought her board but I do know it’s name :-)

    It’s the Precision Glass Cutting Mat from We Are Memory Keepers. There are heaps of places that sell it so maybe do a search for the best value. I use one – it’s really, really good. I’d be lost without it!

    Chrissie

  11. Chrissie F, 19 June, 2016

    Oops! It’s We R Memory Keepers, not We Are :-)
    Old school spelling was drilled into me LOL.

  12. Cindy Lietz, 20 June, 2016

    Thank you for answering Nancy, Chrissie! I appreciate the help!

  13. Chrissie F, 20 June, 2016

    You’re welcome, Sunshine :-)

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